Parsnip Rosti with Dill Yoghurt and Chilli Crunch - Easy Brunch Recipe

This week we are celebrating one of autumn and winter's most underrated vegetables, the parsnip. We are making a parsnip rosti, golden, crispy, cooked low and slow until it is perfectly tender all the way through, and serving it with a garlicky dill yoghurt and a perfectly cooked egg. Think all the flavours of Turkish eggs but make it parsnip. Let's cook!

Why This Parsnip Rosti Works

A parsnip rosti with garlicky dill yoghurt, a runny egg and chilli crunch oil, on the plate in 30 minutes and serving two.

The technique is low and slow. Parsnip takes longer than potato to cook through, so the heat stays gentle and the butter only goes in for the last five minutes.

What makes this different from a standard potato rosti is the sweetness. Parsnips bring a natural sugar that potato simply does not have, and it plays beautifully against the cool garlicky yoghurt and the heat of the chilli crunch.

When I was private cheffing in Switzerland, rosti became one of my great loves. The Swiss take theirs seriously, and eating that many of them over those years gave me a real appreciation for how completely satisfying something this simple can be.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Serves: 2
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: 20cm frying pan, box grater

Unlike potato rosti, parsnip needs a little extra help to bind together, and that is what the egg and cornflour are doing. They hold everything so the rosti flips cleanly and keeps its shape on the plate. The rest is patience. Resist the urge to crank the heat up, because you want the outside golden and crispy while the inside cooks all the way through, and rushing it gives you a burnt crust over raw parsnip. Add a little butter in the last 5 minutes and let it foam up around the edges, basting the rosti as it finishes. That is where the deep golden colour and the rich flavour on the outside come from, and you will be very glad you waited.

Ingredients

For the Parsnip Rosti:

• 2 parsnips, peeled and coarsely grated
• 2 heaped tsp cornflour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp ground celery seed (or celery salt)
• Salt and pepper, to season
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• A small knob of butter (added in the last 5 minutes)

For the Dill Yoghurt:

• 2 large tsp Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 1/4 clove garlic, finely grated
• Salt, to season

To Serve:

• 2 eggs, poached or soft boiled
• Chilli crunch oil, to drizzle

How to Make Parsnip Rosti

1. Grate the parsnips: Coarsely grate the parsnips into a large bowl. Do not worry, it will go absolutely everywhere, that is just parsnips being parsnips!
2. Make the rosti mixture: Add the cornflour, beaten egg, ground celery seed and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper to the grated parsnip. Mix well until everything is evenly combined and the mixture holds together when pressed.
3. Cook the rosti: Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a 20cm frying pan over a low to medium heat. Add the rosti mixture and press down firmly into an even layer filling the pan. Cook low and slow for 10 minutes until the underside is deep golden and crispy.
4. Flip and finish: Carefully flip the rosti and cook for another 10 minutes on the second side. In the last 5 minutes, add a small knob of butter to the pan and let it foam up around the edges, basting the rosti as it finishes cooking. It should be golden, crispy and cooked all the way through.
5. Make the dill yoghurt: While the rosti is in its last 10 minutes, mix together the Greek yoghurt, dried dill and finely grated garlic. Season with a little salt and stir well. Taste and adjust, it should be creamy, garlicky and fragrant.
6. Cook the eggs: Poach or soft boil your eggs to your liking. For soft boiled, lower into boiling water and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, then peel immediately.
7. Plate and serve: Slide the rosti onto a plate or board and cut into two portions. Spoon the dill yoghurt generously over the top, place the eggs on, slice them open if soft boiled, and finish with a good drizzle of chilli crunch oil. Serve immediately.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• A brilliant new way to eat parsnips: There is so much more to this vegetable than honey roasted, and this rosti will completely change how you see it.
• The ultimate weekend brunch: Crispy rosti, garlicky dill yoghurt, a runny egg and chilli crunch oil. It is absolutely STUNNING on a plate.
• Cheap and seasonal: Parsnips are at their best and cheapest right now, which makes this one of the best value brunch dishes going.
• Quick and easy: 30 minutes from start to plate with very little faff.
• Great food waste credentials: Uses up that last bit of yoghurt in the fridge and works brilliantly with parsnips that are getting a little soft.

Chef's Tips for Parsnip Rosti

Low and slow is non-negotiable: Parsnip rosti needs time to cook through properly. If the heat is too high the outside will burn before the inside is cooked. Keep it at a steady low to medium heat and be patient.

Press it down firmly: When you first add the mixture to the pan, press it down really firmly with a spatula. A compact, even rosti holds together far better when you come to flip it.

The butter in the last 5 minutes: This is the secret to that gorgeous deep golden colour and rich flavour on the outside. Do not add it at the start or it will burn, just in the last few minutes as a finish.

Flipping with confidence: Slide a large flat spatula all the way under the rosti, place a plate on top of the pan, flip the whole thing over onto the plate, then slide it back into the pan. It is easier than it sounds and very satisfying when it works.

Make the dill yoghurt ahead: It gets better as it sits and the garlic mellows into the yoghurt. Make it first and let it sit while the rosti cooks.

Substitutions & Variations

• No cornflour? Plain flour works as a substitute, use the same quantity.
• No dried dill? Fresh dill is even better if you have it, use about 1 tsp finely chopped. Fresh mint also works beautifully.
• No chilli crunch oil? A drizzle of regular chilli oil, a pinch of chilli flakes, or even a few drops of hot sauce all work well.
• Make it dairy free: Swap the Greek yoghurt for a thick coconut yoghurt and use oil instead of butter for the finish.
• Add cheese: A little grated parmesan or pecorino mixed into the rosti mixture before cooking gives an extra savoury depth.
• Try another winter root: Half parsnip and half potato makes a milder rosti and a brilliant gateway version for parsnip sceptics. Grated celeriac works too, and if you would rather eat that one raw, my 5-minute celeriac remoulade is the fastest thing you can do with a celeriac.

Storage

Best eaten fresh: This rosti is at its absolute best straight from the pan while it is still crispy. The texture does suffer on reheating, so make it and eat it if you can.

Fridge: If you do have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a dry frying pan or an air fryer at 180C for 5 to 8 minutes to bring back some of that crispiness.

Freezer: Not suitable for freezing. The texture goes soft and unpleasant once defrosted and it cannot be crisped back up.

Avoid: Do not reheat it in the microwave, it will go completely soggy. The air fryer or a dry frying pan are the only options worth considering for leftovers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my rosti fall apart when I flip it? Make sure the mixture is well combined and pressed down very firmly before cooking. Also make sure the underside is properly golden and set before you attempt the flip. If it is still sticking to the pan, it is not ready yet.

Can you make individual rostis instead of one large one? Absolutely. Divide the mixture into two smaller rostis in the same pan, or cook them one at a time. Reduce the cooking time slightly as they cook through faster.

Can you use a food processor to grate parsnips? Yes, and the grating attachment makes this very quick. Just make sure you are using the coarse grating disc, as a fine one turns the parsnip to mush and it will not crisp.

Do you have to use a 20cm pan for rosti? A 20cm pan gives the right thickness for the rosti to cook through properly. A larger pan gives you a thinner rosti that cooks faster but is harder to flip in one piece. A smaller pan makes it too thick to cook through in the time.

Can you make parsnip rosti vegan? Yes. Leave out the egg and use 1 tbsp of cornflour instead of 2 tsp, and use oil instead of butter. The rosti will be slightly more delicate to flip but still delicious, and the dill yoghurt works perfectly with a thick coconut yoghurt.

Why is my parsnip rosti soggy instead of crispy? Usually too much moisture or too little heat. Parsnips release water as they cook, so do not cover the pan, which traps steam. Make sure the oil is properly hot before the mixture goes in, keep the heat steady rather than dropping it too low, and leave it alone rather than lifting and poking at it.

Can you make parsnip rosti ahead of time? The rosti itself is best cooked to order, because the crisp does not survive sitting around. What you can do ahead is grate the parsnips and make the dill yoghurt. Keep the grated parsnip in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon to stop it browning, and mix in the egg and cornflour just before it hits the pan.

What do you serve with parsnip rosti? The egg and dill yoghurt make it a complete brunch on its own. If you are feeding more people, smoked salmon or crispy bacon on the side both work beautifully, and a handful of dressed rocket cuts through the richness. For a bigger spread, add flatbreads to mop up the yoghurt.

You Might Also Like

Weekend Potato Rosti: The classic potato version that inspired this recipe, just as crispy and just as satisfying.

Roasted Carrots with Spiced Yoghurt and Honey Hazelnuts: More gorgeous Weekly Veg inspiration using the same spiced yoghurt idea.

2-Ingredient Yoghurt Flatbreads: Another brilliant way to use up that last bit of yoghurt in the fridge.

Parsnips deserve so much more than honey roasting, and this rosti is the proof. The sweetness of the parsnip, the cool garlicky yoghurt, the heat from the chilli crunch and a runny egg on top. It is a genuinely stunning plate of food that costs very little and takes 30 minutes. Once you have made this you will look at parsnips completely differently.

Enjoy!

Del x

Crispy golden parsnip rosti with garlicky dill yoghurt, a runny egg and chilli crunch oil, the brunch that will make you love parsnips.